The potential applications of Achillea species in various industries have encouraged the examination of their phytochemical components along with their biological potential. In the present study, phenolic contents and essential oil compositions together with the in vitro biological activities of the aerial parts from Achillea biebersteinii Afan. and Achillea millefolium subsp. millefolium Afan. collected from Turkey were evaluated. Different solvent extracts (n-hexane, chloroform, methanol, water) were prepared and their antimicrobial, anticholinesterase, and antioxidant activities were studied. The LC-MS/MS results revealed the presence of 16 different phenolic compounds, including chlorogenic acid, rutin, quercetin, and luteolin glycosides, in methanolic extracts. According to GC-FID and GC/MS results, the primary components of the oils were identified as 1,8-cineole (32.5%), piperitone (14.4%), and camphor (13.7%) in A. biebersteinii and 1,8-cineole (12.3%) and β-eudesmol (8.9%) in A. millefolium subsp. millefolium. The infusion and methanolic extracts of both species were found to be rich in their total phenolic content as well as their antioxidant and anticholinesterase activity. In contrast, the n-hexane and chloroform extracts of both species showed strong antimicrobial activity with MIC values ranging from 15 to 2000 μg/mL. Our findings suggest that the investigated Achillea species could be evaluated as potent natural agents, and further studies into the promising extracts are needed.

In this study, a dental membrane scaffold was fabricated using a 3D printing technique, and the antimicrobial effect of pomegranate seed and peel extract were investigated. For the production of the dental membrane scaffold, a combination of polyvinyl alcohol, starch, and pomegranate seed and peel extracts was used. The aim of the scaffold was to cover the damaged area and aid in the healing process. This can be achieved due to the high antimicrobial and antioxidant content of pomegranate seed and peel extracts (PPE: PSE). Moreover, the addition of starch and PPE: PSE improved the biocompatibility of the scaffold, and their biocompatibility was tested using human gingival fibroblast (HGF) cells. The addition of PPE: PSE into the scaffolds resulted in a significant antimicrobial effect on S. aureus and E. faecalis bacteria. Moreover, different concentrations of starch (1%, 2%, 3% w/v) and pomegranate peel and seed extract (3%, 5%, 7%, 9%, and 11% PE v/v) were analyzed to obtain the ideal dental membrane structure. The optimum starch concentration was chosen as 2% w/v due to it giving the scaffold the highest mechanical tensile strength (23.8607 ± 4.0796 MPa). The pore sizes of each scaffold were studied by SEM analysis, and pore sizes were arranged between 155.86 and 280.96 μm without any plugging problems. Pomegranate seed and peel extracts were obtained by applying the standard extraction method. High-performance liquid chromatography was performed using the diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD) technique to analyze the phenolic content of the pomegranate seed and peel extracts. Two phenolic components of the pomegranate seed and peel extracts were investigated in the following amounts: fumaric acid (17.56 μg analyte/mg extract) and quinic acid (18.79 μg analyte/mg extract) in pomegranate seed extract and fumaric acid (26.95 μg analyte/mg extract) and quinic acid (33.79 μg analyte/mg extract) in pomegranate peel extract.

The purpose of this study was to comparatively evaluate for the first time the antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antiurease effects of A. lycaonica extracts obtained using three extraction methods and five solvents followed by identification of the phenolic compounds obtained by Soxhlet extraction with ethyl acetate and maceration with chloroform that showed the highest total phenolic and flavonoid contents with antioxidant and antiurease activity. The phenolic compounds were identified to be chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, rutin, dicaffeoylquinic acid, salicylic acid, luteolin, quercetin, naringenin, apigenin, and 8-hydroxy-salvigenin. Among the solvent extraction procedures, Soxhlet approach was found to have higher recoveries than other approaches. The results of 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays showed that the 1:1 ethanol–water Soxhlet, ethanol ultrasonic bath, and ethyl acetate Soxhlet extraction methods had the highest DPPH antioxidant activities. The ethyl acetate Soxhlet extraction method showed the highest 2, 2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) antioxidant activity. In addition, the chloroform maceration extraction method exhibited the highest antiurease activity. Therefore, 1:1 Soxhlet ethanol–water, ultrasonic bath ethanol, and Soxhlet ethyl acetate extracts may be used in medicine and food production as natural antioxidant sources. In addition, maceration with chloroform may provide a potential antiurease agent.